13 Things Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You

1. If we teach small children,

don’t tell us that our jobs are “so cute” and that you wish you

could glue and color all day long.

2. I’m not a marriage counselor.

At parent-teacher conferences, let’s stick to Dakota’s progress,

not how your husband won’t help you around the house.

3. We’re sick of

standardized testing and having to “teach to the

test.”

4. Kids used to go out and play after

school and resolve problems on their own. Now, with

computers and TV, they lack the skills to communicate. They don’t

know how to get past hurt feelings without telling the teacher and

having her fix it.

5. When I hear a loud belch, I

remember that a student’s manners are a reflection of his

parents’.

6. Your child may be the center of your

universe, but I have to share mine with 25 others.

7. Please help us by turning off the

texting feature on your child’s phone during school

hours.

8. Guys who dribble a ball for a

couple of hours a game can make up to $20 million a year. We

educate future leaders and make about $35,000 a year.

9. We take on the role of mother,

father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, we’re

watching for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure,

drug abuse, and bullying.

10. Kids dish on your secrets all the

time—money, religion, politics, even Dad’s vasectomy.

11. Please, no more mugs, frames, or

stuffed animals. A gift card to Starbucks or Staples would

be more than enough. A thank-you note: even better.

12. We love snow days and

three-day weekends as much as your kid does.

13. The students we remember are

happy, respectful, and good-hearted, not necessarily the

ones with the highest grades.